Cast veneer wall panels have been developed as a quick and efficient way to provide a masonry appearance for a building while simplifying construction and lowering construction costs. Such panels typically include a front plate or panel carrying a series of design or masonry elements. These design elements simulate brick, stone, tile and other masonry building components or materials commonly used in the construction of buildings. Examples of cast veneer wall panels are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,332,187 to Arcari and co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/647,679, entitled “Fiber Reinforced Concrete Stone Panel System” owned by the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference.
Cast veneer wall panels are typically made from reinforced construction materials such as fiberglass reinforced concrete. While cast veneer wall panels made from such reinforced materials are more resistant to damage from handling during packaging, shipping and installation, further improvements in durability to reduce loss due to breakage are still desired. The present invention relates to a cast veneer wall panel of enhanced durability providing significantly improved handling characteristics due to light weight construction and ability to fasten by nailing. The cast veneer wall panel is also easier and quicker to orient, seat and install.